Reunion
by Aishanirocks
Summary: The boys couldn't stop Brooke Diamond from taking James back home. He left BTR behind and cut all ties off with his former life. Now, after seven years, James is back in Hollywood. As the owner of a huge corporate empire, he is no longer the boy who was in love with his lucky comb. But what will happen when he meet the guys and Katie after seven long and lonely years.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

James Diamond opened his apartment's door and stepped inside. A wave of blessedly hot air hit him. It was freezing cold outside today, and the contrast between the shivering Minnesota winter cold and his house made goose bumps rise on his skin. Okay, he had to admit. All he's done was stepping in and out of his Limousine at the right places and walking five meters, through the cold from it to the lobby of the luxury apartment complex.

He set his suitcase down on the antique coffee table his mother sworn to have spent a fortune on, his mind on a tall glass of hot chocolate. He turned toward the refrigerator, and froze.

James recognized Monique's handwriting on first glance. That was not because she had worked under him for a long time or anything. The letter S in YOU SON OF A BITCH, I RUE THE DAY WE MET was written in a gothic way which was unique to Monique Vanderbilt. There goes his forth PA since last August. Monique was the first of his employees who'd ever been invited to his apartment, much less his bed. Because James followed his mother, the legendary Brook Diamond's 'never mix business with pleasure' rule to the last letter.

Something wrong was about to happen. Call it a gut feeling. The goose bumps on his arms weren't going away. In fact, they prickled, screaming an alarm at his brain. He listened carefully. Only the hum of the heater and the quieter sound of the refrigerator broke the silence. He opened his cell phone and dialed Matt's number_. _Since all his last Personal Assistant Monique did was warming his bed, he had asked Matt, his mentor in all things corporate, to help him with running Diamond cosmetics. Matt has always had a huge crush on his mother, but Brooke Diamond being Brooke Diamond, never had time for romance. However, they are taking a fresh start now as James has taken the whole company from her hands.

"Hey Matt, is my mom with you? Are you guys having fun?" Like the rest of the rational people in this part of the world, his mom and his soon-to-be stepdad had traded the Minnesota white winter to a tropical one in the Fiji.

"Jamie, what's wrong?" Matt's voice was alarmed.

He loved Matt's ability to sense distress in his tone no matter how he tried to mask it. Darn it, it worked miracles during board meetings and when he was dealing with stubborn corporate tycoons.

"Monique turned up with her resignation."

"Really, that's the forth PA since I resigned, right. What happened? You didn't cross the privacy zone with her, did you?" Matt had a way of making him feel like a ten year old again.

"Asks the PA who's going to marry his former employer in three months."

"Yeah, I know. It's like the pot calling the kettle black, but darn it, I thought I taught you not to cross the personal space with your close employees, especially your secretaries. That kind of flings tends to end badly." _Hah, she was the one who practically threw herself into me._

"Did you give her any delusions of grandeur?" He knew exactly where Matt was going with this. A few years back, he had dated a French supermodel whose name he could no longer remember. After their two months affair ended, (with him breaking up with her of course) the girl had gone in to a murderous rage. In her fury, she'd tried to accuse him for sexual assault. She couldn't prove anything. But it had caused a huge international scandal with the paparazzi trying to turn his life in to a bloody mess.

"I'm not dumb enough to do something like that, Matt. I had warned her that our relationship was reaching the end of its course."

"I was just checking."

James grinned at the relief in the man's voice. Then he grew sober.

"But we do have a major problem. Someone's onto our work, and they want to know what we're doing. They're clearly not friendly."

Matt perfectly knew what he was talking about. He's been Brooke Diamond's most trusted adviser for over twenty years for nothing. The little troubles here and there in his business empire which they first believed as stupid pranks done by some jobless person, are turning in to full out disasters since last month. His mother or Matt had no idea of half of the headaches he had to bear, dealing with both the police and the press.

"Do you think the Painted Sky is behind it?"

The Painted Sky and The Diamond cosmetics have always been rivals in the cosmetic industry. But since he took the decision to broaden the horizons of his company towards Hotel and Spa, he's getting too much trouble from Bronwyn Grey, the exclusive owner of The Painted sky.

James frowned. "I've had an intruder at my office. Some guys broke into my safe and stole some of my papers. I'm sure they were after the papers of Hollywood project. But they didn't get what they came for." He added grimly, "But I wouldn't put it past the Painted Sky to be meddling again. Wouldn't surprise me in the least to find out they're pulling some ecologist's strings on destroying our project."

Matt replied, "First the fire at the lab, and now this. I'm beefing up security for both the project and you immediately."

"Yeah, that's the problem. You resigned, remember. Don't let these problems mess your vacation Matt, both Mom and you deserve a care free retire life after working your butts off for twenty years."

That meant he'd have to do something which he swore he'd never do ever again. Going back to Hollywood, the city of fame and glory was nothing compared to the possible chances seeing his former friends again. He had done a great job at avoiding any encounter with his friends since his mother dragged him away from the Palmwoods and back to Minnesota seven years ago. Proving everybody wrong, The Big Time Rush thrived with just three members in it. Over the last seven years, they've almost replaced all the British Boy Bands plus the legendary Backstreet Boys in the minds of people worldwide.

"Just be careful okay?"

"Fine. Just don't ask me to suspend the work. We're too close now to stop."

"Not if you die," the former PA retorted sharply. "I know you hate having a body guard anywhere near you, but this is serious, Jamie. Brook will never forgive me if I let something happen to you."

"Matt, I'm twenty four years old."

James sighed. He'd known it would come to this. Just not this soon. Hopefully no one will remember him as the former Big Time Rush member, James Diamond. For some reason, it was a little known fact among the fans that there were four original BTR members. Griffin's work, he supposed. He didn't want to open that can of worms, so liked to keep the little information a well masked secret. People knew him worldwide as the CEO and the owner of Diamond, Cosmetics and Hotels and Spa chain. He was a famous face in the CEO Tiger magazine, which he thought was popular only among corporate Tycoons. And he has been a back to back member in the List of richest hundred men under twenty five, for five years now.

At nine next day morning, he grabbed his coat; he was running late for a meeting with six investment bankers. He remembered to take off the Rugby shirt change into something a little more presentable from the concealed, fully stocked wardrobe in the suite opposite his office. Times like this, he wondered how fast he had changed in to the complete workaholic Lady's man he was today from the care free boy band member Lady's man he'd been, seven years ago. And to think he'd once been in love with his comb.

James raked his fingers through his short chestnut hair. All those memories he had locked in a distant corner of his mind was coming back to him, and it was beginning to grate on him. At five-thirty in the evening, he'll leave his safe haven in Minnesota, back to Hollywood. But this time he had no dreams of a naive teenager of becoming a singer and an Actor to fuel his excitement.

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**

"Stop pacing Kendall, you're making me nervous."Kendall muttered something under his breath and continued pacing the waiting room next to the ICU.

"Kendall sweetie, Jo's a strong woman she'll go through this without a problem." Their mother patted Kendall's shoulder soothingly but he just yanked her hand off.

"It's been five hours, Mom. What if there's something wrong with Jo or the baby?" He asked for the nineteenth time. Katie was getting bored of this repeated performance. Since Jo went in to labour six hours ago her usually confident brother had turned to a complete different person. She was running late for her very important job interview, but she wanted to stay be her brother's side till her niece or nephew was born.

"It's nothing unusual Kendall; sometimes a labour can take more than ten hours. Calm down." It was funny seeing Logan giving Kendall prep talks. But she had to agree, her brother was acting like a child whose favorite toy was taken away from him, at the moment.

They were all gathered here to help Kendall through this especial moment. _All, except him_.

No, now is not the right time to think about James. He left them. Yes, he hadn't wanted to go, or so he'd said. But he never bothered to make any contact with them over the last seven years. To say she was shocked to see James' face in the CEO Tiger and Times magazine over and over again would be a sever understatement. But she wondered if she was the only one who saw the intelligent seeking mind behind that pretty face and hundred-wattage smile before he went back to Minnesota and turned the corporate world upside down.

"Okay, I really need to eat a corn dog right now. Katie, Mrs. Knight, do you want anything to eat, and _you _Kendall. You haven't eaten anything since morning." Carlos said with a warning glance towards his best friend.

"Carlos, my wife's in labour, I'm not in any mood to eat anything."

"You'll change your mind. There's a very good Italian restaurant few blocks away from the hospital."

"You'll be lucky if you could avoid the paparazzi, Carlos. They are camping outside the hospital, even in the lobby."

"Thanks for the warning, man."

With that, Carlos disappeared into the elevator. She wished she could go somewhere else as well. The tension in the waiting room was almost tangible. Katie hoped her impending interview as the Marketing Manager of Saffron Beach Hotel will not be hard. Thanks to Carlos problems with his Blond Jennifer, Buddha Bob's unemployment problem, her own temp jobs and now this, she had zero free time to do a background check on the newly built Hotel giant in the city, The Saffron Beach. She'd heard that it was built by the same person who owned the most successful new casino and hotel in Vegas, the Cinnamon Grand. But it was just a rumor. She hoped that this corporate Tycoon had the slightest idea of what he was doing. It will be hard convincing a board of interviewers to recruit a nineteen year old for such an important job. But it was worth trying.

The door of the ICU cracked open and a doctor emerged through it. Before he closed the door behind him, Katie thought she heard a wailing of a baby.

"Mr. Knight, my congratulations! You have a daughter."

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

Saffron Beach, the rising star of the LA hotel industry, glittered under the evening sunlight. Katie parked her car in the parking lot and rushed through the doors of the elegant building. The supermodel perfect receptionists behind the counter stared at her casual wear of yellow-gold blouse, blue jeans and sneakers. Not the best first impression, she knew, but that was the best Katie could do after staying up all night in a hospital waiting room.

"Welcome to Saffron Beach madam," The red haired receptionist said in a sweet but very less welcoming voice. Maybe she thought Katie was some stupid tourist who had wandered inside without any idea how much B&B in a hotel like this would cost.

"I have an appointment. I'm here for the interview." The girl's eyebrows went up to her hairline.

"Listen Miss, whoever you are- we have lots of work to do, this is not –"

"Hey, just check the list, I'm Katharine Knight." The receptionist, Sandy, according to her name plate, pushed few buttons on the keyboard of her computer. Sandy had a look in her eyes that could only be described as guilt.

"Uh…"

"I know. Just tell me where to go." Katie knew she was acting like a bitch. She had learned not to judge people from the first glance, and couldn't help but expect a little of the same curtsy from other people.

The receptionist nodded and reached for a telephone.

"Fourth floor, take a right, end of the corridor."

Since she was already late, she rushed towards the elevators, taking a bird's eye view at the lushly decorated lounge of the grand hotel. The elevator was elegant, too.

So was the man waiting for her. One man, not the brood of interviewers she'd anticipated. One man, standing at a window over-looking the garden, his back to her.

Even so, he gave an immediate feeling of….what, familiarity?

Power, she thought. Power and strength, masculinity and youth, it all exhaled from him in thick intoxicating vibes. The tall, leanly muscled body evident within the stylish black Armani suit; the broad shoulders; the long legs. He stood with those legs slightly apart; she could tell his arms were folded. His posture signaled irritation and arrogance.

Strange. There was something familiar about him…

Katie's heart leaped into her throat. _No_, she thought, _no!_

She made a sound, something between a choked gasp and low moan. The man heard it.

"You are the last on the list. Let's get this finished so I can call this day a complete waste." He said coldly as he swung towards her…

"K-Katie," James Diamond, The owner of Diamond Cosmetics, Hotels and Spas and her brother's former best friend said, and the only good thing about this awful, terrible moment was that Katie knew the surprise and shock on his cold, angelically beautiful face had to mirror hers.

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**

James stared at the figure in the doorway.

No. No! It was not possible!

Lots of girls had dark brown hair. Eyes the color of spring leaves. Short, thin but a strong built.

Darn, who was he trying to fool?

It was her. Impossible or not, it was the same girl. No question, no doubt. And the look, that one look at her, sliced him into a thousand pieces.

The princess, he thought, had become the queen.

She'd always been the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. The transition from pre-teen girl to a late adolescent had only added polished layers to that beauty. Her hair was as he remembered it, a long tumble of mahogany brown around a face of rose and cream. That skin, he remembered, was as soft as dew. Her nose was small and Straight, her mouth wide and full. And he remembered, perfectly remembered, how sweetly she could turn them into a pout. Her eyes were bright green, almond-shaped, and watched him now with a studied coolness.

She smiled, and that, too, was cool, as she walked toward him. And it made him tremble inside his mind.

Her dress, a dull gold top which clung to her curves, and slim jeans which showed off delicate legs. The

sneakers she wore were the same tone and made her look like something glowing with heat. But he felt no warmth from her as she arched a brow and looked at him in turn.

"Well, its James Diamond, isn't it? Welcome back."

Her voice was deeper; just a few degrees deeper than it had been once upon a time. Sultrier, smokier, silkier. It seemed to wind its way into his belly even as he puzzled over her polite smile and detached welcome.

"Thanks." Deliberately, he matched her tone. "It's good to be back. You look amazing."

"We do what we can."

She tossed back her hair. There were citrine stones at her ears. The details of her, down to the rings on her fingers (no wedding ring, he couldn't help but notice), the subtle scent that surrounded her, etched themselves into his mind. For an instant, he tried to read hers but found the language foreign and frustrating.

"I like your new hotel," she said, carefully keeping her voice casual, but he thought he saw a shadow of the Greek fire which was burning under that cool facade. "Or what I've seen of it."

"Well, we'll have to give you the grand tour. So, you are here to apply for the job as SBH's marketing manager?"

"I'm not…..or not anymore. And don't bother on my account, I'll just find my way out." She turned to leave the room.

"Katie! Wait."

"It's a workday, isn't it? You don't have time to go showing me around the place. I don't want your job, and don't you have like, I don't know, hundred companies to run?"

"How is Mama Knight?"

"Ask her yourself, I don't have time to waste on you." Though he had her by a foot in height, she stepped forward, jabbed her finger at him, and made him feel twelve years old again. "Why the hell are you back?"

"My reasons are none of your business."

"Why don't you do everybody a favor and go back to where you've been gallivanting these past years? Minnesota, New York City, Paris, and oo-la-la. We've all done fine without you taking up space in LA."

_"Bitchy, aren't we?"_ He muttered. "So, if you don't want the job, then let's go to the Café area and grab something to eat." He was waiting for her crack, get all pissed and do whatever it is girls do when they were angry or irritated.

"I've always got a few minutes for an old friend."

He nodded his head, gestured her to follow him.

"You may have heard that a mutual friend of ours, Logan, was married last summer. Chantel's not only a close friend of mine but she's a spectacular artist as well." He'd heard everything about the big Hollywood wedding from Trish, his soon-to-be stepsister who never missed a single celebrity gossip.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that over sentimental, over dramatic Camille would end up being one of the most demanding Hollywood actresses. The way he'd heard, her always busy schedule had put an end to one of the most famous celebrity relationships of the decade. He kind of knew that Logan and Camille's on again off again thing would never work.

It annoyed him that he had to get his bearings, seek his balance. The scent of her was turning him inside out.

The second floor was just as welcoming as the rest of the hotel, with the added enticement of a bustling café on the open verandah end and all the wonderful aromas, of spices, coffee, rich chocolate, that wafted from it.

The display glass sparkled in front of a dazzling selection of baked goods and salads. Fragrant smoke treamed from steaming pots behind the counter where even now a pretty blonde ladled out soup for a waiting customer. Windows on the far wall let in glimpses of the gigantic pool area.

'This is our VIP restaurant, the menus change every day in to cuisines of every part of the world. I guess its 'English countryside' today."

"It's terrific." That, at least, she could say without qualification. "Just terrific, James. You must be very proud of what you've done here."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I was just saying."

There was a bite, a quick, nasty nip, in the tone that had him looking back at her. But she only smiled again, gestured with an elegant hand that sparkled with rings. "Hungry?"

"More than I'd counted on." Katie didn't like the way he said that. And the way his eyes strayed upon her body like she was the last piece of chocolate left on earth.

An identical glimpse of that bite snapped, for an instant, in those hazel depths before he turned and led the way to the counter. "Julia! isn't it?" He said reading the name plate of the chef in charge, "I have a girl with an appetite."

"Then… she's come to the right place Mr. Diamond…sir." The woman gave a hesitant grin, her dimples fluttering, her blue eyes friendly when they met James'. "Our soup of the day is chicken curry. Special salad is Shrimp Diablo, and the sandwich of the day is grilled mutton and tomato on olive loaf. Plus our regular fare," she added, tapping the counter menu, "with our vegetarian offerings." He wished his employees would stop acting like robots around him, afraid of making a single mistake. It wasn't like he ruled them with an iron fist or anything. Maybe they were reluctant of being near the boss whom they had never seen before.

"Just coffee for now. Black. You?"She asked him.

"Uh…same. Let's go find some lonely corner, this place is not usually so crowed, or so I hear, but it's the holiday season."

She smirked. A pretty kitten, and very sharp claws, James mused.

"You know, you might enjoy the SBH's executive package, we give our upper level employees a luxury yacht ride every season."

Katie might be the Marketing Manager he was looking for. Its true, the girl was too young and had no experience or qualifications to apply for the job. But come on, this is Katie Knight; she knew how to do business even before she learned how to write her own name.

"Nice try, but the answer is still _no_."

What he needed now was a different approach. Something else which he'd learned from his mother was that Diamonds never take 'No' as an answer.

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**

The bastard. Once she was behind the closed door of her little apartment, Katie let out a splinter of the rage. That he would have the nerve, the insensitivity, the stupidity to waltz into her life again. To stand there and smile at her as if he expected her to shout for joy and jump into his arms. And to look baffled when she hadn't.

_Bastard._

She clenched her fists. The entire emotional trauma of the day had turned her into a train wreck. Pain, shock, joy, fury, all so intense, all so immediate, she'd been dizzy from them. One stunning emotion slamming into another, leaving her weak and trembling.

Seven years. He'd walked away from them, leaving his friends and her hurting and helpless and hopeless. It still shamed her to remember the quivering mass of confusion and grief they'd all been for weeks after he'd gone.

But they'd rebuilt their lives on the ashes of the possible future he'd had burned beneath them. They'd found their focus, with the BTR refusing to replace him with another person, and a kind of steady contentment. Now he was back.

She could only thank the fates that her, self training, had given her time to compose herself. How humiliating it would have been if she'd seen him before she'd had a chance to prepare herself. And how satisfying it had been to see that flicker of surprise and puzzlement cross his face at her cool and casual greeting.

Her phone started ringing and she pushed the answer button without even looking at the caller ID. With all the craziness of seeing James again, she'd forgotten to check in with her mom at the hospital.

But the voice which answered her "Hello" wasn't a female one.

""James? How did you find my mobile number?"

"From your job application, genius." He said with a grin.

"Hey, if you have noting important to say, I have to take a quick shower and go back to the hospital."

"Hospital! why?"

Katie gave a wicked smirk. This is going to hurt, she knew, and she wanted him to suffer.

It was one thing to realize that your oldest friend had taken the plunge and another to hear secondhand that said friend had fathered a kid with you knowing a single thing about it. It will give him yet one more jolt.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

James thought it must be the fourth of July 'cause he's definitely seeing fireworks. Maybe coming to see Palm woods was a very bad idea. He rubbed his aching cheek while scowling at the cracking fireball in front of him. Boy, some things never change.

Camille Roberts, vibrating from the brim of her fedora hat to the toes of her three inch heels glowered at James. Her eyes shot arrows of resentment which were directed at him.

What was she even doing here? Palm woods was for the future famous, not the now-famous. And considering how hard it was for her to land an acting role while she lived here, he'd thought she would never want to come back to this place.

"Better late than never," she announced as she started forward. "I've been waiting for this for seven years."

_Dak Zevon_ lunged toward her, caught her around the waist as she swung out.

"Hold on," he ordered. "Just hold the hell on."

"Hasn't mellowed, has she?" James commented. He tucked his hands in his pockets.

If she was going to plant a fist in his face again, he'd just as soon she get it over with. He knew he'd be at the receiving end of at least one more of them before the end of the day. But then, Katie or Mrs. Knight never went for physical expressions of anger when they are fired up, they knew other, mush crueler ways.

"Not a bit." Dak hefted her off her feet while she cursed at him. Her hat fell off, and her long dark hair tumbled over her furious face. "You are James….right?"He asked, trying to control his fiancée.

James nodded.

"Why don't you give me a few minutes here? Cam darling, cut it out!" he said in a low voice, looking at the crowd which was gathering around them. Some people snapped photos from their phones. It didn't affect him as much as it did Dak, couldn't be the first time he did a stupid thing in the Palm wood's lobby. "We are in a public place."

"Then let's go somewhere else before I punch him." She blew her hair out of her eyes and they scorched the air between her and James. "He deserves it."

"Maybe I do," James agreed. "But not from you."

"Katie 's too much of a damn lady to bust your chops. I'm not." _Wait_, Katie? What does she has to do with anything. He put BTR in total jeopardy when he left them for the second time after they welcomed him back into the team with open arms, the first time he did that. So he deserved and expected good manly punches from all of his best friends when they see each other again. _But Katie?_

Could Camille be talking about the minor crush he suspected that she had on him. What if that fire's still burning under the cool façade Katie possessed in front of him.

He smiled now. "I always liked that about you. I'm here to see her, is she home?"

He told Dak and watched Camille's mouth drop open in shock.

"Yeah, we came here to see her too. We were leaving when Camille saw you by the counter."  
"Okay then, adios amigos!"

He decided the shock was complete when she didn't try to kick him as he walked to the door. He stepped inside the elevator, took another long look at the Palm wood's lobby. He'd never realized how much he missed the easy carefree life he led in the Palm woods. The pool, the girls, even Mr. Bitters' strict, money-loving, and downright mean persona. It pained him to know that Mr. Bitters had retired from his manager job and had moved back to Maryland to look after his sick mother. The place had changed very little in seven years. It was, James thought with relief and surprise and a heavy heart, exactly as he had left it. He'd used this same elevator to go to the apartment he'd shared with his best buddies Mrs. Knight and Katie, countless times. A hundred years ago, he thought, and felt the all-too-familiar clutching in his stomach.

What am I doing here? He thought again, reaching unintentionally to press the exact number of floor where apartment 2J was situated. Unlike the Palm Woods, he had changed. Sometimes he hardly recognized himself.

He wanted to believe he was doing the right thing, coming back to Palm Woods to see Katie. Not home, he mused. He had no idea if this was home anymore, even if he wanted it to be.

Katie still lived in apartment 2J with Mrs. Knight though Logan, Kendall and Carlos had moved out of the Palm Woods. They were too famous now to live here in Palm Woods without crazy fans storming the apartment.

He knocked on the door hoping Katie would put their enmity aside and give him another chance to restart their friendship. When the door opened, he stopped, as if his feet were rooted in the ground. He stood frozen as Katie stepped onto the corridor. James was yet to get used to this improved adult version of Katie Knight. She was no longer the four feet something little kid he knew during his teen years.

"Knew you'd come as you warned. Bad pennies always turn up." She said with her signature sweet pout.

"I just moved in to my new house, it's only few blocks away from here."

"Why?"

"My work here is not done. So, I'm going to stay here in LA still it's over."

She drew in a long breath. "I meant, why do you need a house, here in LA? You have an entire five star deluxe hotel at your disposal."

"I don't choose to live in a hotel, nor to live where I work. I want my privacy and my downtime. I won't get either if I stay at the hotel."

Her lips curved now, sharply.

"Why don't you have dinner with me tonight, after we visit the hospital? We can catch up."

"No, thank you."

He hadn't meant to ask, not so soon. It irked him that the words had escaped.

"Some other time, then."

"Can we go now, before I change my mind?"

"Okay, it's good to see you again, Kitty-Kat."

Before she could evade it, he held her hand. Something sparked, visibly. The air sizzled with it.

"Ah," was all he said, and tightened his grip.

"Take your hand off me." She kept her voice low; spoke slowly while looking directly into his eyes. "You have no right to touch me."

"Oh come on, I know you still have that crush on me."

"Don't flatter yourself."

It hurt. A bright, swift pain twisted in his heart. "But you do, and I need you. There's more to be considered than old, bruised feelings."

" 'Bruised feelings.' " She repeated the phrase as if it were a new language.

"I see. Be that as it may, you will not touch me without my permission. You don't have it."

"We're going to have to talk."

"That implies we have something to say to each other." She allowed some of the anger to surface and coated it with disdain. "Right at this moment, I don't have anything to say to you. I want you to leave. I want you to go back to your precious dear company and never come back. But you talked me in to accompanying you to the eye of the super storm. That was clever of you, James. You always were clever, even as a boy though not many people saw it."

When his grip loosened, she slid her hand free. The air cleared. "Let's not spoil your visit with a scene. Why don't we go now?"

_Have I ever been known to be the one who care about making scenes?_

"Oh, Katie , this isn't a visit. I'm here to stay for a while."

He saw, with vicious pleasure, her cheeks go pale just before he turned to walk back to the elevators.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

Her feet tried to move back towards the parking lot on their accord as she followed James in to the Hospital. She wandered if he was feeling the same. Well, he was the one who forced her in to act as his tour guide, spokeswoman, and referee when facing his ex-best friends. _Good luck, explaining that to Kendall, Katie!_

She was hyper aware of the tension which was gathering between them. They hadn't said a word between each other since she boarded his flashy blue Lamborghini Reventon.

When were they walking through the corridor towards room no-345 of LA Metro hospital, she was finally forced to face the truth. There's no getting out of this!

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**

Katie was glade when her mother ordered everyone to take their temporary war zone out of the hospital room. Poor Jo was still recovering from a hard labor. Though the doctors confirmed that both mother and the baby are going to be fine, her brother was still in his _panic mood_.

Temperature had dropped few degrees since James and Katie walked in to the room.

Kendall's face was fearsome to look at. Same went with Logan and Carlos but James and Kendall were friends long before they met the other two. Hell, they had sometimes shared the same crib when they when they were babies as our mothers were best friends since high school. So, Kendall took the hardest hit when James left his friends and BTR behind. His wounds were deeper, more painful.

Logan had a restraining hand rested on her brother's shoulder, likely to stop him from doing something he might regret later. James stood leaning against the wall, looking bitter and moody like an angel of destruction who'd accidently stopped the doom's day.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Though each of Kendall's words had the lash of a whip, she kept her own calm and pleasant.

"Is it hard to guess?'

"I'm standing right here you know? And I can speak for myself." James snapped. _Really, then why did you drag me to this mess?_

"I'm sorry, but I don't talk with traitorous bastards." Kendall snarled without even looking at James.

"Same goes for you, more or less, but I'm here to say, I'm sorry. I apologize for all those crimes against friendship you guys think I've committed."

"Apology accepted, Now go back to hell, you son of a bitch."

She approached her brother, ordering herself not to shrink under his bright green stare.

"Kendall, he's your best friend. Don't you think he deserves a chance to at least explain himself?"

"You are supposed to be on my side baby sis."

"I'll come back to your side when you stop acting like a small child."

Carlos emerged through a bend of the corridor with a huge fruit basket and an almost-human-size stuffed bear in his hands. And he dropped all those things on the floor when he saw the unmistakable white elephant in the corridor.

"JAMES!" He yelled, ran towards his long lost friend and squeezed him in to a bone breakingly tight bear hug.

For a man of six-one with a ton of fan girls, Carlos still hadn't grasped fact that he's no longer in the fifth grade. Nothing would ever be able to change Carlos' loyalty towards his best friends, not even Hollywood.

James looked happy to finally have received a warm welcome from a friend. It made Katie a bit guilty about the way she acted, and she absolutely hated feeling guilty.

"Hey Carlitos, it's good to see you man." James said, putting his hands on Carlos' shoulders.

"You too. Now that James is here, why don't we go to club Sundown tonight? We have more than enough reasons to celebrate."

"Not gonna happen!" Both Kendall and Logan said in unison.

"Yeah, Carlos this is not a good time. I have a ton of work to do anyway."

"Talking about work, why are you here after all this time?"

"Uh… I have some work here to do. We are opening Diamond Cosmetics showrooms in Malibu and Rodeo Drive, and my hotel Saffron beach is having some problems."

Rodeo Drive? Wow, his company must be really loaded if they could afford to do that. The last time she'd heard, Rodeo Drive land prices were ridiculously higher than six million dollars.

After another heated argument and exchanging few punches between each other, Logan dragged Kendall towards the vending machines to grab a coke. Carlos and Katie followed James back to Jo's room to see Kendall's new pride and joy.

It has been four days since Jo gave birth to Katie's little niece. But the doctors insisted that she's better be kept under close medical attention because she was drastically weak after twelve hour labour.

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**

The door swung open. The woman who was standing by the bed released a flood of stored memories. Though he loved his mother very much, Brooke Diamond wasn't the ideal mother figure in his life. Mrs. Knight was more than happy to accept the huge responsibility as the mother, housekeeper, nurse, referee and cook for four teenage boys when they first moved into LA. He knew his mother would go straight into a coma and never wake up if someone told her to do the same thing.

"I can't believe—you're here." Mrs. Knight hugged him tight.

"I've really missed you mama Knight. You haven't changed a bit." He added an ' I'm_ sorry I couldn't come earlier' _in his mind_._

"When I heard you are back—" Shaking her head, Mrs. Knight pulled back, then smiled. "Oh, God, it's good to see you, James." She wiped her cheek with her knuckles.

"I was almost afraid to come."

"Why?'

"You know, I didn't want to take a walk down the memory lane and what ifs."

"James, sweetie, did you work things out with your friends." She asked, giving him her signature motherly smile.

"They didn't even give him a chance mom; I don't think either Logan or Kendall is ready to have a civil conversation with James yet." Katie jumped on the light green couch which was the only furniture in the room except the bed and a night stand filled with medicine.

"They'll come around." She said that with such confidence that he almost believed her.

"Yeah, just give them some time." He turned to look at her when he heard Jo's voice.

She looks the same, was all James could think. Jo was still willowishly built, even though she'd given birth to a baby just four days ago, with the curves he knew Katie had secretly envied throughout her pre-teen years. Her hair was still shoulder length and tousled around a pretty face. Blonde hair and blue eyes like the Jennifers', but with soft features, softer heart and a neat Cupid's-bow mouth that had driven the teenage boys wild.

James started to speak, searched for something to say. He couldn't remember the last time he was in a situation like this. He knew how to function at board meetings, fundraisers, Milan fashion shows and boring charity dinners but this? He honestly didn't know what to say. He was usually; very vocal around ladies but those women he knew and dated were always unmarried and flirty themselves. What do you say to a woman who'd just had a kid? Yeah, the million dollar question.

The baby who was gurgling next to Jo was the tiniest and most beautiful little creature he'd ever seen. She had her father's bright green eyes and a little mop of curly blond hair was visible on her head.

"Jo. She's gorgeous."

"Yeah." Jo kissed her baby's head. "She is. Would you like to hold her?"

"You are kidding right?" He gave a reluctant glance at Mrs. Knight and both she and Katie gave him 'go ahead' nods. After a long suspicious look at the baby, he reached for the tiny pink bundle. "Aren't you pretty?" Unable to resist, he poked the baby's cute nose with his finger. "Jo, you and Kendall will have to chase boys away with sticks when she's a teenager. She's going to be just wonderful."

"She likes you, too." Jo gave a satisfied nod.

"You are a natural sweetie." Mama Knight said with a huge grin.

"What's her name?"

"You know, Kendall and I always fight over things like that, so we decided to let her grandmother name her."

"She's your daughter sweetie, and your firstborn, you should be the one to name her, not me."

"Why don't we name her Daphne or Velma" Carlos said helping himself to an apple from the fruit basket.

"_Scooby_-_Doo! really, Carlos?" Katie said with a mocking smile._

_"Then how about _Piper, Phoebe or Paige?"

"We are not going to name her after a fictional character." All three women said in unison.

"I kept telling her she'd meet her godfather sooner or later."

"Her godfather?" Confused, James settled the baby on the bed again.

"Sure." Jo smoothed the baby's hair. "You're Kendall's oldest friend. And I know when you're stupid feud is over, Ken will thank me for using my brain once in a while." Jo frowned at James' blank look. "I mean you are okay with it, right?"

"Of course."

"I was hoping you'd show up for the wedding. I sent you a wedding invitation—" Jo shrugged. "I guess it could have gotten lost. You were always traveling around so much."

"I was busy at that time."

"_Yeah,_ Jetting off to Rome, Madrid, Hong Kong in your private plane—romping in the sheets with sexy French models, it can be pretty tiresome." Katie muttered.

"Sitting on runways and in board meetings," James finished for her. "It isn't nearly as glamorous as it might look."

"No, I guess partying with famous actors, dining with the queen of England and sharing midnight schmoozes with heiresses gets pretty boring."

"Schmoozes?" He had to laugh. "I don't think I ever schmoozed with anyone."

"Oh, please, who do you think you are talking to? I've known you since I was born." Katie leaned over to brush a hand down the baby girl's arm. " I've seen image of you glittering among the glittery. Celebing among the celebrities, hoitying among the toity."

Now he's getting seriously irritated. What, did she expect him to put all his money in a bank account and lock himself in his apartment to brood over his lonely life? "I guess I've done my share of hoitying. But mostly I've worked my ass off to bring Diamond Company to where it is today."

"Yeah, right."

"You two, stop fighting. And mind your language in front of the baby." Mrs. Knight yelled.

James smirked. He's really going to enjoy breaking through Katie's defenses.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

It was all a matter of strategy. In business, James thought. In relationships. And sometimes in just surviving the day. He checked the progress on the rehab and was pleased that the work was proceeding on schedule.

He knew something about construction and design. There had been a time, years before, when he'd considered turning Diamond Cosmetics into a construction company. He'd taken some extra college courses in architecture and design. That had given him some practical knowledge, an elementary skill, and a Healthy respect for manual labor.

But his plans to build his own had faded as every design he attempted or imagined turned into a disaster in his own mind.

Once he'd realized he wanted be in the hotel business, the rest was a matter of patience, canniness, and careful strategy. It had been important not to let his dear mother know that he was planning turn her precious cosmetics company in to a hotel and spa chain.

His first hotel "Eden" would have come to James through inheritance in any case as it was all his father had left for him, but had Brooke Diamond realized it had become a kind of Holy Grail to her son, she would have felt obliged to nudge it out of reach, thereby pressuring her son and heir to take more personal interest in other areas of the family empire.

The carrot would have dangled at the end of a very long, very thorny stick during her mother's lifetime. It was, James knew, how his mother operated. She was not a woman who rewarded; she was one who withheld. A philosophy that garnered results and never concerned itself with affection.

In the end it had come down to deflecting his mother's attention, waiting her out, then broaching the deal at the right moment and meeting the cost.

Historically, the Diamonds were staunch believers in the adage that nothing comes free—unless, James thought, it was their own trust funds. So when he finally broached the idea, his mother had choice but to except his idea. Renovation of his father's family hotel had taken a king's ransom. But it was worth it. Even before he knew it, he was the owner of two more hotels, planning to buy more. Successes and money had begun to follow him everywhere like a love struck puppy.

But for nearly six years, he had held his desire for a hotel close to the sunny Californian beach.

"James!"He almost jumped when he heard Katie's voice behind him.

He never thought watching her in a business suit and killer heels would turn him on. Watching Katie walk here and there in his new Malibu showroom, giving instructions to the decoration crew and scribbling things on her notepad, was doing strange things to his body.

"We don't need more flowers for the west wing. That place looks like a funeral parlor already." She said pointing the perfumes section of the shop, which covered almost whole of second floor. The decoration crew had placed huge vases and buckets of Diamond perfumes' signature flowers 'purple lily and orchid' on every free surface they could find.

"My thoughts exactly." James said with a frown. He'd dragged Katie from her office in Saffron Beach with hopes of impressing her with the progress he's achieved in cosmetics sector of the company.

"It's pretty distracting. I know purple lilies and orchids are the signature mark of Diamond perfume products but the whole place looks suffocatingly _purple_."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"I don't know. Interior decoration is way out of my strike zone. But my inner teen girl tells me not to use so many flowers."

"I was assured that my decoration crew is the best on the market."

"Supermarket, maybe."

"How long will it take you to change the setting?"

"Don't know for sure until I look into it. Four to eight, I'd say."

"Hours? That's pretty fast"

"Sure. Like I said, you—"

"Get what you pay for," he murmured, "Okay then, you go right ahead and do it. But right now, we are going out for lunch."

"No, I can't. I'm going to redecorate a huge cosmetics boutique. My to-do list is longer that your arm."

He angled his head. "So you have measured my arm?"

She murmured something like 'duh' under her breath, eyes glued to that damned notebook tab she always carries around.

"I need to check the food court."

"Why ask me? I'm not your secretary."

"Yeah, that's the problem; I don't have a PA right now, so you're coming with me."

"Oh, chill out 'bossy boots', let's go."

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**

"God, I missed this so much." James had his face turned towards the sky, which was miraculously still blue in spite of the rainy climate the weather reports forecasted. His short, yet perfect chestnut bangs ruffled by the humid breeze. Sun rays played on his tanned face, making his hazel eyes look almost golden and watching them was like a drug in her blood stream.

"I wondered how long it would take you to come here." Her voice was low, as measured as her gaze. "I wasn't sure you'd have the nerve."

It was difficult, horribly, to speak rationally when the emotions and alien feelings from the shop still churned inside her. "Do you ever want to come back here you know, before circumstances demanded you do that?"

"Why would I? If I want to look at the sea, I can take my plane to go to Hawaii or better, to somewhere in the Indian Ocean. If I want the sun, it's a short trip from Minnesota to Nebraska when you have a fast ride. There's nothing here to warrant the trip."

"But you're here now."

Her head tilted to the side. The dark blue stones at her ears caught the light and glinted. "Did you run out of pretty girls in Minneapolis and New York?"

It surprised her when his lips curved, almost teasingly. "Sex has strong energy, when it's done correctly. We never had a problem in that area. You were what... ten, eleven when I went back?"

'_Twelve"_, Katie corrected silently. She was twelve, but who's counting?

"I never meant to—" He broke off, swore.

Darn her stupid mouth. Now he'd start tormenting her about that stupid crush again.

"To tease me?" she finished. "Liar."

"Katie, I'm sorry for what happened okay, I'm sorry I didn't keep any contact with you for so long."

"A clear truth, after all these years."

"Meaning to do something at seventeen doesn't mean I can't, and don't, regret it now."

"I don't want your regrets."

"What the hell do you want, Katie?"

She watched people hurry through the pavement, window-shopping and gossiping with each other. She heard the edge in his voice, knew it as a sign of a rising and reckless mood. And it pleased her. The more unsettled he was, the more she could feel in control.

"A truth for a truth, then," she said. "I want you to suffer, to pay, and to go back to New York or to hell, or wherever you choose, so long as it isn't here." Talking to your boss that manner was a high way to getting fired. But James had almost begged her to take the job, so she held all the cards here.

Katie looked back over her tall double fudge sundae at him, and her smile was cold as winter.

"It seems so little to ask, really."

"I mean to stay here in LA for a while."

He looked dramatic, she thought. Romantic. Dark and broody. Full of anger and turmoil. Because of it, she indulged herself and gave him yet another push.

"For what? To run a hotel and a couple of boutiques? You managed to run Cinnamon Grand for years without ever being in Vegas."

"This is different.'

The way he said it, that small, verbal explosion, triggered more memories. He was the most confident person she'd ever seen but he'd always had to prove himself, to himself, she thought. The constant internal war of James Diamond. She shrugged.

"Well, in any case, I imagine you'll be bored with California soon enough and escape. As you did before. 'Trapped in a bubble,' I believe was your term. You felt trapped here. So, it's just a matter of waiting you out."

"You'll have a long wait," he warned. He hooked his hands in his pockets.

"Let's get something straight, so we can avoid going around the same loop again and again. I have business here, just as you do. The fact that you spent your whole adolescent years here and I didn't doesn't change the fact that we both like this place. We both have stuff to do here, things and people who matters to me as much as they matters to you."

"An interesting speech from someone who walked away so casually."

"There was nothing casual about it,"

"Is that how you justify it?" she tossed back. "Is that how you make it right? You left because it suited you, and you come back because it suits you. And because you're here, why not see if you can stir up some old flames. That's all you are doing, trying to mend your friendship with Kendall, Logan and Carlos."

"Want to talk about some old flames." He yanked his sunglasses off, threw them on the table. His gaze was burning, blistering earthly green.

**BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR**

He crushed his mouth to hers, let himself take, let the storm of emotions that had shadowed him since he left Hollywood break over both of them. If he was to be damned, he'd be damned for taking what he wanted, not for letting it go.

The unique flavor of her seared through him, sizzling the nerves, smoking the senses. His hands tightened so that her upper body was molded to his over the table, and against his heart her heart kicked and galloped until the paces matched.

Exactly.

The scent of her, darker than he remembered and somehow forbidding, slithered into him, twining through his system until it was tied in knots. The memories of the girl, the reality of the woman—both blurred together and became one.

Became Katie. He said her name once, his lips moving against hers, then she broke free.

Her breathing was as uneven as his. And her eyes were huge, dark, unreadable.

He waited to be cursed, and counted it worth the price of that one taste of heaven.

But she leaned to him in one quick move. Locking her arms around his neck, pressing her body to his, she took from him as he had taken from her.

The rest of the world blurred until there was only two of them. Her mouth was a fever, and the ache of it throbbed through him. Both edges of that keen sword stabbed, and still she took.

She had pushed him, plucked at the ragged threads of his temper with one underlying purpose.

This. Just this. Whatever the risks, whatever the price, deep in her heart she'd had to know.

He nipped her bottom lip, just one quick bite before his tongue slicked over the same spot to soothe and to entice. He changed the angle of the kiss, daring her to follow, to circle the slippery rim of that well of need.

Someone trembled. He wasn't sure who, but it was enough to remind him that a misstep could lead to a tumble. And the fall was long.

She drew back, then away, as the reverberations of that mating of mouths tossed his emotions.

"Why don't we go to the movies tonight?" He asked.


End file.
